You have decided to make a big work decision and go green. That means you have taken the time to turn your office into an office that tries it’s hardest not to harm the earth. You know it’s a great decision but you may have a hard time convincing your employees otherwise. You may run into employee’s that find it a hassle, simply because they don’t understand. So here are several ways you can get your employee’s to go green with you:

Supply them: To help your employee’s get on to the eco-friendly band wagon, supply them with the tools to get there. There are plenty of eco- friendly office supplies sites that you can use, like pens, paper, toner, ink and other things. Most of the time, people have a hard time spending the extra penny on something eco-friendly, so look into buy coffee mugs and water tumblers so they aren’t using paper cups and what not.

Incentives: Just like when your company hit’s a team goal or does something well, you reward them. Host mini-contests that lean on the green side, the employee to use the least amount of paper, or that recycles the most while at work gets a small prize. (And don’t forget to give them an eco-friendly prize!)

Keep positive: Be careful not to harp on your employee’s, you don’t want to annoy them with your constant pestering. Keep it light hearted and fun. The more you make it an exciting and fun thing, the less they will resist. Make sure that you do not force your personal reasons on going green on them.

Educate: Teach your employees why you and your company have chosen the path you have. Leaving literature for them to read in the work/break room is a good start. Don’t be afraid to hold a small meeting on your decision. As stated before you do not want to bombard them with your personal views and what not, so focus on why it is beneficial within in the company and avoid talking about why ’you’ have chosen to be eco-friendly. Posters, brochures, occasional, email links and blogs will also educate your employees. The more they know, the more your employees will understand and want to be more green conscious.

Once your employees understand why eco-friendly is the best way to go, they most likely will jump on board. Remember to make it fun and don’t force your green ways on them. Good luck and have fun being an eco-friendly office!

This Guest post is by Christine Kane from internet service providers, she is a graduate of Communication and Journalism. She enjoys writing about a wide-variety of subjects for different blogs. She can be reached via email at: Christi.Kane00 @ gmail.com.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

How to get your Employee’s to be Eco-Friendly

As most businesses begin looking to green solutions for sound business/environmental practices, as well as added savings, they often neglect to consider the very ground they walk on.  More often, we think of green solutions as they pertain to computing technologies and other similar technical advances like office automation and paperless transaction.  But by taking into consideration even the most basic elements of office design, one can drastically cut costs and build a greener business, literally from the floor up.

The following is a list of the top 3 most eco-friendly flooring options that you might consider for your business space.

Wool Carpeting

Wool isn’t just good for keeping you warm; it’s also a great option for your floors if you prefer carpeting.  Durable, soft, fire-retardant, and great for heat, humidity, and temperature absorption, wool is a great option for a number of reasons.  In the warmer months, wool floors will help keep the office cooler by wicking away humid moisture and repelling heat.  Conversely, in the cooler months, it will retain heat and keep the office warmer.

As it’s recyclable, stain resistant, and very renewable, wool becomes a great eco-friendly option for those in need of office carpeting.  Companies like Prosource Carpet offer great wool carpeting products as well as other green carpeting options for your consideration.

Bamboo

Not only is bamboo a beautiful choice for flooring, it’s also very easy to install and highly sustainable as it grows in abundance in the U.S. and abroad.  Cured bamboo, as is used in most flooring operations, is very resilient and is available in a large variety of styles and textures.  Bamboo flooring is becoming hugely popular for these reasons, and is both a great visual and environmentally sustainable way to dress your office.  Also, bamboo is a great choice for those suffering from asthma and allergies, which could be a great benefit for some of your employees.

Linoleum

Linoleum flooring, despite what many think, is actually made from renewable materials often including limestone, pine rosins, wood flour, and linseed oil, among others.  If you’ve ever seen or owned any linoleum floors, which you likely have, then you already know how durable and easy to maintain it is.  Another big perk for existing businesses especially is the fact that linoleum flooring is offered in just about any color conceivable, making it an easy match for any existing office décor.

While going green certainly doesn’t end with the physical designs and building materials for your business, it does make a great starting point, and can help guide you down a greener, more sustainable path in the future.  Choosing the right flooring for your business needs can be both a painless and beneficial process for all involved.  As far as your style and the environment are concerned, it should be a win-win for both.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Eco-Friendly Flooring: Top 3 Green Options for Your Business Space

Businesses these days are flocking to green options and to cloud services. Fortunately, the two are interconnected and, in many cases, complement one another perfectly. Innovative, progressive companies will look at a variety of ways to please their personnel and scale up their information infrastructure—be it investing in comfortable chairs for back pain or doubling down on new software. One of the best ways for a company to show its employees that it is committed to curbing carbon emissions and e-waste is to embrace cloud computing services in the office. Here are a few of the reasons why cloud services are eco-friendly:

Cut down on e-waste. Each year 20-50 million tons of electronic waste are dumped into developing nations, polluting their water sources and air. Many companies have committed to reducing their e-waste and a great way to do this is by eliminating the need for its sources, namely office electronic appliances such as mobile phones, computer circuits, printers, etc. While you may not be able to completely liquidate your office gear in exchange for cloud services, you can reduce it a great deal and significantly cut down on the lead, cadmium, beryllium, and BFRs (brominated flame retardants) that have to be disposed of. The use of cloud services should considerably cut down on your business’s annual e-waste.

Many cloud services use a pay-as-you-go model. This allows flexibility among your IT department, as you can pick and choose the applications and platforms you need. In other words, you don’t have to purchase an entire package of unneeded gadgets and circuits just to get the one you do need. Speaking of IT, you will likely be able to reduce your workforce, as many technical administration duties can be handled by cloud programs.

Cloud services cuts down on carbon emissions. Because real time communications, web conferencing, chatting, and synced mobile phones can eliminate the need for expensive business trips and unnecessary commuting, the cloud will reduce your carbon footprint as well.

The cloud saves paper. Sync your files online and collaborate in real-time. You won’t need to print the same document twenty times for slightly new versions, nor will you need to use barrels of ink simply to distribute a single office memo.

These are some of the environmental reasons to go with the cloud in your office. There are also practical issues of efficiency and performance. Ultimately, you want to balance your bottom line with your duty to run a sustainable eco-friendly business. Adopting cloud services is a great first step.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Why the Cloud is Green

I’ve been quiet over the holidays. Trying to keep up with work, holidays and life in general has been overwhelming. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was very nice, the kids had a great time that’s what really matters when it’s all said and done.

Just because things have been quiet on the blog-front doesn’t mean it’s been quiet around here. We’ve been working with some great companies on their new WordPress sites, mobile sites as well as trying out and gifting some awesome eco-friendly products. I wanted to take a minute to send out a big “thank you” to some great companies and let you know about some companies we’ll be featuring in the coming weeks.

First a HUGE Thank you to Kristin at the The GrapeSeed Company! Every year I work with a great green company to bring family, friends and clients a little eco-goodness. This year I teamed up with The Grapeseed Company, they offer premium eco-friendly vinotherapy spa & skin care for professional and personal use. Their line of bath & body treats are centered on the byproduct of wine in their new hometown, Santa Barbara, California. I was so giddy to send out mojito man shaving sets and shower sets to the special people in my personal and work life. I hope everyone loves The GrapeSeed Company as much as I have and if you haven’t tried their products before be sure to check them out!  Thank you Kristen!

Some more BIG thanks going out to some guys and gals I have gotten to team up with the past few months on projects and love working with them so much I want to share them with you!

Kendra Cote – Owner of Amathia Soaps, Kenna makes another awesome line of bath & body products which look and smell amazing and also found their way into many stockings this holiday! We first teamed up to launch her new website design which will be live very soon. Yet, as we worked together and chatted way too much on skype, I discovered she has a mad love for WordPress, too. We have been working on a few projects since and I can’t express how much I appreciate her! I know her true love is Amathia, but I hope we can continue to work on projects together when she isn’t knee deep in her suds. Thank you so much for all your help lately, Kenna!

Another Thank You going out to Applied Info-Systems. Applied Info-Systems pulled off a great mobile site design for a client in a crunch. Although EOG offers plug in set up for mobile versions of WP sites, this situation wasn’t going to allow for a quick and simple set up. Robert was able to create what the client needed, on the heels of the holidays and he did a great job! If you need to get your website mobile visit Applied Info-Systems for your mobile package solutions!

Tammy at Moonwell Designs has also been an awesome partnership for recent projects. I have teamed up with Moonwell Designs to offer logo design, ebook creation and much more. Her design skills are amazing and I’m so happy to have her to turn to for project needs. Thank you Tammy for all your help the past few months! Contact EOG for your design service needs – Tammy’s skills are sure to deliver!

Again a huge thanks to everyone for all of your help this year!

We have also been trying out some goodies from Shaklee, Naked Binder, Influenster & Fearless Chocolate we’ll let you know what we think of them soon!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays & Happy 2012 from Eco-Office Gals and the Smith Family!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

A Post Holiday Thank You!

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday… Let’s go with the HUGE EOG SALE! We’re combining all our affiliate savings to bring you and offer you’d be crazy not to grab! Build a great site on the best platform with wonderful hosting and a superior theme and save, save save!!

Hosting: 50% OFF ANY hosting package! {affiliate link}

Premium Theme: 25% Off any StudioPress theme with Coupon code THANKS {affiliate link}

FREE Installation! WordPress Installation – FREE with Hosting AND Theme installation FREE with StudioPress theme purchase!

Not a DIY’er?? Get all the FREE and discounted offers above and $200 off our Silver, Gold or The Works WordPress Design packages.

The Design services offer will be available thru Tuesday morning, but the other offers above are only available for a limited time, so don’t miss out on combining all these savings and saving BIG! Contact us today!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Save Huge on Eco-Office Gals Services!

More and more small businesses appear to be placing a greater emphasis on taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint by implementing a series of significant changes, ranging from teleconferencing to cycle-to-work schemes.

What’s more, some of the changes can also saves companies money and improve productivity and morale among the work force.

What are these changes? Here are a few suggestions:

Conference calls

Teleconferencing is cheap, easy to use, convenient and some conference call providers even offer free conference calls. No longer do employees have to spend hours travelling either by air, rail or road to attend meetings that can be just as effectively carried out over the phone or via a video conference or webinar. As well as cost and environmental benefits, teleconferencing also means staff spend less time away from their desk.

Work remotely

Allowing staff to work from home either once or twice or week or on a more long-term basis means a company’s workforce aren’t commuting to and from the office. With the cost of office space and rent a financial burden, this method can free up funds that could instead be pumped back into the business. And, as an added bonus, having a ‘work at home Wednesday’ or whatever you want to call it may even improve productivity and morale from the staff as they feel more trusted.

Promote carpooling

Encourage the workforce to lift share to and from work and to any other events they may be attending together. Perhaps try and incentivise the scheme with small cash bonuses or free breakfasts or something like that just to help it get up and running.

Recycle in the workplace

Starting recycling and reusing whatever you can if you don’t already at work. Become a more responsible business by reducing wastage and recycling everything from packaging to computer components.

Turn down the central heating/air conditioning

You’d be amazed at what a difference turning down the central heating unit or air conditioning by a few degrees can have in terms of reducing utility bills and the amount of energy used to keep the office warm in the winter months and cool in summer. Also remember to turn off the heating unit or air con completely when the office is not in use as well as all electrical appliances and lights.

Introduce a cycle-to-work scheme

Look into the possibility of implementing a cycle-to-work scheme in the same way that you should promote carpooling among staff. In countries like the UK, these schemes involve allowing workers to buy tax-free bikes for up to 40% less than they retail for. If similar schemes are not applicable to your area then maybe offer money-off vouchers to encourage people to cycle to work.

Featured post submitted by Powwownow

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Reduce the carbon footprint of your small business

It should not take a large outlay of money in order to take your business from consuming more energy to one that is eco-friendly. As a matter of fact, once you have worked out all the details, you can actually raise your businesses profit margins. Just by adopting small, simple measures, any size organization can help their business to go “Green.”

• Reduce paper use: Let everyone in your organization know that they should not be photocopying or printing documents when it is unnecessary to do so. When you are going to be printing, eliminate waste by ensuring that paper is properly aligned, toner is sufficient for the job, and the quality is properly set.
• Reuse paper: Print on both sides of paper, and use scraps for notes and messages.
• Send used paper to recyclers: After paper has been used as scratch pads and on both sides, send it to be recycled. This will help to save the environment as well as reduce costs.
• Use paper that is recycled.
• Buy refurbished furniture: By purchasing used office furniture you will be reusing resources rather than contributing the depletion of our woodland.
• When finished using equipment, switch it off: For instance, each time you turn your PC off, also turn off any peripheral equipment that is attached to it.
• Set up recycle bins: Since you are going to be going “green” it is time to set up waste receptacles for separating the different type of waste that is generated. This can be done for glass, plastic, metal, as well as paper. Assign someone to take them to the local recycling unit when they are full.
• Switch to energy efficient products when possible: Replace incandescent and fluorescent lights with the newer high efficiency lights to save on lighting costs. Since laptops consume less energy when compared to ordinary desktop models, consider switching to laptops when it is time to upgrade your computer. Replacing CRTs with flat panel displays in another measure that you can use to reduce the amount of energy you use as well as take up less space on your desk.
• Use green technology based products: Manufacturers that use less energy in the production of their products should be sought out as you attempt to go “green.” There are any number of different companies that are doing everything they can to reduce the impact they are having on the environment.
• Remember to conserve and recycle water as you can: This can be done by setting up drinking stations that allow the use of a reusable cup rather than a paper one, and do not rely on running water as a fountain would. Place a filled container in toilet tanks to prevent overuse of water, or switch to low flow tanks.
• Use eco-friendly and bio-degradable packaging: When packaging your products for sale, make sure that you are using materials that will degrade when tossed into landfills, and use less packaging that is sure to reduce the amount of waste that is produced from your business.

Guest post written by Mirsad Hasic of Alternative Energy Geek.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

10 Simple Steps To Make Your Business More Green

Dear EarthTalk: What is the environmental impact of so many people now using sites like Facebook and spending so much time online?
– Bob Yearling, Paris, TX

The environmental impact of so much online time really boils down to energy usage, which in turn affects the amount of greenhouse gases we pump into our atmosphere. For one, each of us can help by limiting computer time (whether surfing the ‘net or not) and shutting them down or putting them into sleep mode when we aren’t using them (this can be automated via the computer’s power management control panel).

Also, when shopping for a new computer, consumers and businesses alike can opt for models certified by the federal government as energy efficient with the Energy Star label. If all computers sold in the U.S. met Energy Star requirements, Americans could pocket $1.8 billion annually in saved energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to taking some two million cars off the road.

Individual responsibility aside, the creation and management of more efficient data centers by the major online hubs—especially as we enter the age of “cloud” computing whereby most of the software, content and services we look to our computers for resides online and is served to us as-needed—is what can have the biggest impact. Google, Facebook, and Amazon.com are already deeply committed to the cloud computing model, with Microsoft, Yahoo and others following suit accordingly.

For its part, Google has been a real leader in the building of green data centers, even powering them with renewable energy. The company recently released environmental footprint scores for several of its data centers. While the energy usage required to run its cloud services (Google Search, Google+, Gmail and YouTube) seems huge in the aggregate—it used 260 megawatt hours to power its data centers in 2010—it boils down to only 7.4 kilowatt hours worth of energy annually per user. Google reports that to provide an individual user with its services for a month uses less energy than leaving a light bulb on for three hours. And because the company has been carbon neutral since 2007, “even that small amount of energy is offset completely, so the carbon footprint of your life on Google is zero.”

In an April 2011 report entitled “How Dirty is your Data?” the non-profit Greenpeace examined energy sources for the 10 largest IT companies involved in cloud computing, finding Apple, Facebook and IBM especially guilty of getting significant amounts of power from coal-fired power plants. (Facebook had come under fire earlier this year when reporters uncovered that the company planned to buy electricity for its brand new eco-friendly data center in Prineville, Oregon—one of the greenest such facilities ever designed and constructed—from a utility that derives most of its power from coal.) Yahoo, Amazon.com and Microsoft scored best in use of renewable alternative energy sources for cloud services.

In the long run, analysts think that the widespread shift to cloud computing will be a great boon to the environment. A report released in September 2011 by Pike Research, “Cloud Computing Energy Efficiency,” predicts that because of the shift to cloud computing and increasing efficiencies, data center power consumption will decrease by 31 percent between 2010 and 2020.

CONTACTS: Energy Star, www.energystar.gov; Greenpeace, www.greenpeace.org; Pike Research, www.pikeresearch.com.

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E – The Environmental Magazine. Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe or get a Free Trial Issue

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

EarthTalk: Impact of Spending Time Online

Many people are beginning to practice eco-friendliness within their home and working lives which is a positive step in the bid to reduce carbon emissions, however one of the largest contributors of carbon emissions haven’t quite been tackled – transport. The commute to and from work is significantly affecting climate change. Traffic congestion means journey times are longer than usual
in rush hour, resulting in more fuel consumption and consequently more carbon emissions which are proven to contribute to global warming and have effects on human health. Using alternative methods to travel to work can greatly reduce carbon emissions, travel expenses and even commute time.

Traditional Tactics

If you live within a reasonable distance you are blessed with the ability to leave your car at home and save abundances on fuel. Walking or cycling to work can be enjoyable in the summertime and great exercise, particularly for office workers who are generally seated for the duration of the day. Although you may not want to leave your car at home every day, if the weather looks sunny and you have a burst of energy why not choose to walk? With fuel prices constantly rocketing, choosing to walk or cycle can be incredibly attractive due to the money saving aspects.

Car Sharing

If you live a greater distance, walking or cycling may not be a practical option of getting to work. Rather than jumping straight behind the wheel, ask colleagues in the office to see if anyone lives nearby and ask if they want to start car sharing. If you and a colleague share a car to work you could half your fuel costs, mileage and carbon emissions. Alternating days of who drives can also reduce the stresses of driving each morning.

Public Transport

If no one from the office lives within your area you could consider public transport as an option. Initially this may sound unattractive, but often urban areas have convenient transport links. Considering monthly passes can also save you some money on public transport, in some cases it may actually be cheaper than the costs of running a car and far less stressful. Using public transport minimizesthe number of cars on the roads, reducing congestion and carbon emissions.

Green Cars

Hybrid cars are becoming increasingly popular due to their financial and environmental benefits. They combine clean electrical energy with a gas powered engine, making them a cleaner and more fuel efficient method of transport. Their fuel consumption is lower than that of an average car, saving you money on fuel.

Work from Home

Although working from home isn’t always possible, if you live quite a distance from your work you could ask your manager if working from home a few days a week would be acceptable. This could save you significant amounts of money and drastically reduce your carbon emissions. It could also benefit your company money and productivity too if you offered to work the hours which you would usually spend commuting.

Eco-friendliness isn’t only saving the environment, it’s also saving many office workers money. It’s proven that greener alternatives to transport are cost effective. So why not leave the car on the drive for a well deserved rest?

Written by Stephanie Staszko on behalf of Just Motor Law.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

5 Green Ways to Travel to Work

The greenest printing is no printing at all, but sometimes you have to have a business card or brochure to give to potential clients. So, if you must print, print green! Printing for Less has covered a wide scope of green printing practices from FSC certified paper, vegetable based inks, wind-powered facilities and more. I have always highly recommended them to my clients.

This month PFL is offering new customers $100 off their first order of $300 with coupon code Affiliate100 (exp 10-1-2011). Visit PrintingForLess to take advantage of these huge savings! If you have a smaller order and don’t meet the $300 balance, no problem. Use my referral code for $50 off your first order of any amount. Use code RP1D6SEJM at checkout, there is no expiration.

These savings are huge and my clients have always been very impressed with the final product. So, print green & save green on your next printing project!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Green Printing $100 OFF for September